Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.
-Dr. Wayne DyerThe Power of Intention

This quote has a broader application than what can be discussed in a single post. I am discussing body perspective today because it is a clear example of where this principle can be applied. I will likely revisit this quote in future posts.

Respect Your Body

Your body is a gift from God. Resilient, flexible and unique, the physical human form is truly a marvel of creation. When we focus on the wonder of our body and recognize the potential it has, we gain a deep respect for it that makes it difficult to treat it poorly.

Remember, though, that you are not your body anymore than you are your foot. Your body is a part of you. Identifying yourself with your body makes healthy habits difficult to maintain. If you think of yourself as a fat person, a bald guy or a couch potato, you have to change who you are in order to maintain a healthy physical body. It is much easier to change what you do or how you think than who you are. You are a spiritual, conscious being using a physical body to interact with the physical world.

Your body is a part of the physical world which is defined by boundaries and limitations. But, it was created by divinity and is controlled by you who are a soul derived from the essence of God, absent of limitation.

Four Actions to Build and Maintain a Healthy Body

Whether you are interested in losing weight, gaining energy or muscle mass, the following activities can help build and maintain the body you desire:

Acceptance: A commitment to change your body starts with accepting the body you have today and expressing gratitude for the strengths it has. Your eyes can read this print, your brain can process the words and I’m sure you can think of many other things your body is capable of doing. Allow yourself to be awestruck by this marvelous creation while recognizing that it is separate from who you are.

Imagine Perfection: Imagine that you have achieved the goals you wish to achieve for your body. Your body is perfect and you know exactly what it needs to maintain perfection.

Move toward your goal: Begin one new habit that will move you toward the perfection you imagine and maintain it for 30 days. Studies have shown that habits that persist for 30 days or more become difficult habits to break. If you are not currently exercising, start there. Maintaining healthy eating habits feels natural once an exercise routine has been established. This is especially true if weight loss is a goal: burning calories is much easier than reducing calories. After 30 days, begin another new habit.

Be positive: Focus on adding things that are good for you rather than eliminating things that are harmful. Rather than thinking about eliminating ice cream and potato chips, look for things you can use to replace them. Instead of focusing on spending less time watching television, consider ways to fill that time with enlightening or physical things. A focus on positive change reduces the grief and obsession over the things you have eliminated and increases enthusiasm about positive things to come.

Establishing a Routine – A Personal Perspective

I have been a physically active person most of my life, though my physical activities have been inconsistent, and consequently, my physical health had seasonal fluctuations. Several months ago I committed to morning workouts before getting ready for work. What I discovered is that morning routines are much easier for me to keep because morning activities tend to be routine and predictable. Afternoons are full of interruptions, spontaneous activities and unpredictability.

Additionally, my workouts rotate between kick boxing, running and swimming: all things that I enjoy tremendously. And, I periodically attempt to find other variations. Variation helps prevent boredom. A workout routine is easiest to maintain if it does not feel like work.

Today, my body is healthier than it has ever been and morning workouts are easy to maintain (as long as I get enough sleep at night. That’s my next 30 day commitment).

Daily Action – Prepare To Change Your Body

Using the four activities listed above begin to develop a plan to improve the health of your body. Commit to a habit change you will practice for the next 30 days. If you feel comfortable doing so, make a comment on this post sharing your commitment. Feel free to use a pseudonym if you wish to remain anonymous (your email address must be real, but it will not be displayed).

Sharing your goal with others not only helps motivate you to maintain your goal, but it can also help others determine goals they may wish to set for themselves and provide inspiration to others.

To continue reading about this topic see the following posts in the series Making Peace with Our Bodies:

About the author

Danny

I am Danny Kohn, writer and designer for this site and owner, software engineer and consultant for Inspirations Software Design.
My three greatest passions in life are sharing time with my family, software design and sharing inspiration with others. I have the incredible privilege of being able to spend a significant amount of time every day doing each of those three things.
I am a single father of Tristen, our 6 year old son. It has been such an incredible joy to watch him grow up and learn so much. Everything he does and says overwhelms me with adoration. We have a wonderful evening ritual of reading books together in a beanbag chair. Nearly every night, we have a laughing attack together. I smile and giggle constantly in his presence and feel truly inspired.

Permanent link to this article: http://beinspiredeveryday.com/2007/08/23/change-your-body-via-perspective/

Hey Danny! Thanks for coming by TheYoungCapitalist! I think you’re comment speaks for a lot of my readers…and me! I’ve only gotten to about 3 of your posts, but I’m lovin’ it! Here’s one more subscriber for ya!

i really like your post..! I realised that there one should keep his body healthy and that one should be in order to keep themself toned one should be done with it. Unless one respects his body, he or she will not be able to have a healthy mind.Nice writeup i am going to include certain points that you have included in this that i have menntioned.

Hi Danny, What a GREAT post! The Dr. Wayne Dyer quote is on my desk and was integral in my healing from chronic pain and illness. I agree making goals and breaking them down into steps that can become habits and routine are so important for change. Thanks! Jenny

April says:

Hello, I am a mother of three and i came across this site trying to find information about meditation. I have been stuck in a rut and unable to lose weight and keep it off for at least the last six years. I am a former collegiate athlete, so it has been hard for me to comprehend or understand how I have become someone who is 90#’s overweight and struggling with high blood pressure. You really helped me to realize that my body is not who i am and that I need to focus and appreciate the parts that I am thankful for, instead of focusing on all of the fat that seems to have enslaved me. Thank you! I hope I am on my way to true freedom.

@April I’m glad I could help. Overcoming dissatisfaction with our bodies is such a daunting task, and sometimes it’s hard to sustain the motivation. Be sure to enjoy the journey to true freedom! Our goals are much easier to attain when we enjoy the journey.

Sally says:

Great post! I completely agree with this. All the exercising and dieting that people do is not going to do anything without positive thinking a change of view. I know this for a fact: Over the week of thanksgiving (yeah, with all that food) I decided I was going to be happy all week and eat whatever and not feel guilty about it and, even though I ate probably 3-4x more than any other week, I lost 8 lbs… It just came off! This post just puts into words how that can work.

Mct says:

but what if you have like a bad knee, how can you lose weight if your body is too weak, its nice to maintain a healthy body but if someone is already sick or immobile, how can people lose wieght then and exercise?

@Mct you make a great point. Funny thing is, I have a bad knee that has forced me to stop running. Fortunately for me, my knee problem has not prevented me from biking or swimming or even sprinting: just long distance running. I love running and have been pretty bummed out about not being able to do it, but instead of focusing on that, I have redirected my thoughts and efforts on things that I can do. So, my overall health hasn’t suffered as a result. The point I try to make in this post is that, in order to improve our bodies, we first need to make peace with our bodies and appreciate the positive aspects of it. This is more difficult when faced with greater physical challenges, but focusing on those challenges and ignoring the positives will only make us weaker, because we can only take good care of something that we appreciate.

In my post, Your Body Is Marvelous, I talk about how my experience with a broken foot helped me appreciate the marvel of the human body.

[…] have written quite a few posts reflecting on the power of a positive attitude. In my post, Change Your Body by Changing Your Perspective, I quote Dr. Wayne Dyer from his book, The Power of Intention where he says the following: Change […]